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Sail the Sea of Stars - chapter 4

 
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 9:53 pm    Post subject: Sail the Sea of Stars - chapter 4 Reply with quote

________________________________

Enter: The villains of this epic tale.
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_____________________________________________

CHAPTER 4

THE G.P.L. REMBRANDT


The bridge of the Rembrandt was being raped.

Dozens of determined Beltherian raiders were plundering her electronic components with ruthless determination. Panels were open all over the bridge area, and gapping voids were visible where the starship's most valuable systems had been located just minutes ago. These components were not being carefully disconnected and removed the way technicians would do it if they were replacing faulty equipment. All the components were being sliced free, ripped loose, and torn out by their roots. The stolen items would only be reusable after the damage caused by their hasty removal had been repaired.

The bridge floor was littered with broken access doors, smashed modular units, and torn out wiring.

Twenty minutes earlier, the bridge crew had been forced at gunpoint to vacate their posts, and they were now imprisoned in a conference room three decks below. The doors of the conference room had been quickly with plasmabeam fired into the access panel.

Only the First Officer and the Captain had been permitted to stay on the bridge during the dismantling of the ship's bridge. Captain Ernesto Medina and First Officer Nigel Ogbannaya were needed on the bridge to type in passwords and speak coded phrases and hold their eyes before retinal scanners, allowing the pirates to disconnect key computer systems without activating safety measures which would render these systems useless by erasing data and shorting out relays.

The job was almost finished. The last of the raiders were about to haul their loot away on zero gravity stretchers which they had taken from the Rembrandt's sick bay. The leader of the Beltherian raiders was seated comfortably in the captain's chair, a leg draped over one armrest, an elbow propped on the other, and the watchful gaze of his strange yellow eyes completing the unnerving impression that this genetically altered human had a great deal in common with a jungle cat, relaxing after a successful kill.

His name was Ro Jaudane. He was the descendant of human colonist from the planet Beltheria. He was also the recipient of extensive surgical alterations and the product of over one hundred years of genetic engineering. And in all this, he was entirely typical of his race.

He appeared to be about thirty years old, but this estimate could be off by a decade either way, simply because he was Beltherian. He was in perfect physical condition, he stood six feet three inches tall, and he was dressed in a dark gray, form-fitting combat suit overlaid with sections of molded body armor which protected his most vulnerable regions.

Just a few feet behind the seated Beltherian was the entrance to the bridge area. The carpeted floor to the left of the doorway was a bloody mess. The bodies of two young women and one elderly man lay where they had been murdered, shot in the head by the raiders. These were three randomly selected passengers of the Rembrandt, and they had been roughly escorted into the room, forced to stand against the bulkhead, and shot down before the horrified eyes of Captain Medina and Mr. Ogbannaya.

After providing this demonstration of his resolve, Ro Jaudane asked Captain Medina and Mr. Ogbannaya if they would cooperate by providing the necessary passwords and codes. The question hadn't even been posed to the two officers until after the hostages had been marched in and quickly slain. Medina and Ogbannaya were allowed to see that three more hostages were waiting in the corridor, just in case they gave the wrong answer to the question.

As the last group of raiders exited the bridge, Ro Jaudane gave Captain Medina and Mr. Ogbannaya a relaxed smile as he rose slowly from the captain's chair.

"Thank you for your cooperation, gentlemen." He waved his hand towards the gutted room. "I return control of the bridge to you, sir. With your permission, we'll be departing shortly."

Captain Medina was a middle-aged man with black hair and classic Latino features, but the look of defeat and agony in his eyes made him look ten years older.

Mr. Ogbannaya was a tall, thin man with ebony skin and a gaunt face which tended to make him look unfriendly — an impression which was not true. But the look on his face at the present moment was unmistakable rage. As he stood next to his captain, glaring at the Beltherian leader, his fists were clenched and his jaw muscles rolled and flexed beneath his dark skin. His eyes were as narrow as two knife wounds.

The Beltherian leader held that hate-filled gaze for a long, mocking moment, waiting to see just what this wiry descendant of Ethiopian warriors might do when the last raider vacated the bridge and the three of them were alone. Jaudane folded his hands in front of him and shifted his weight to one leg, a casual picture of an unconcerned man. His smile was that of a departing guest, thanking the host for his hospitality. He held Ogbannaya's angry glare and never once blinked his yellow, feline eyes.

With an effort of will, Ogbannaya pulled his stare to the side and turned his head. Then he looked down at the deck near his feet and remained motionless while his chest heaved and the air hissed with each breath.

Jaudane turned and starting walking slowly towards the door. As the Beltherian took his third step, Mr. Ogbannaya silently crouched and picked up a discarded panel from the deck, his knobby hands gripping the edges with fierce strength. The deep carpet of the Rembrandt's bridge muffled his steps as he moved towards Jaudane's retreating back, raising the panel as he did so.

Captain Medina watched with a fearful dread, holding his breath and clenching his teeth, biting back the plea he wanted to shout at his first officer, knowing that any sound would only warn the Beltherian.

But Ro Jaudane needed no warning. Keen senses and animal reflexes spun him around with his pistol drawn so quickly that the motion was snake-like. Ogbannaya made an instinctive move to cover his chest with the panel he'd intended to smash the Beltherian's head with. He was still moving forward when the muzzle of the weapon flashed out a white-hot stream of plasma which punched through the panel and likewise the chest of the brave — but already dead — first officer.

Jaudane stepped aside like a matador and let the falling body pass him as it thudded to the floor. Then the Beltherian leveled the pistol at Medina. The captain of the Rembrandt stared at the weapon for moment, then he made himself stand a little taller as he waited for the Beltherian to fire. Amazingly enough, Jaudane looked just as relaxed as he had while sitting in the captain's chair. Medina wondered if the hard, dark, brooding face of the Beltherian was even capable of showing remorse or pity or compassion. After a moment, Medina ventured a question.

"You're going to destroy my ship, aren't you?"

The Beltherian cocked his head a bit to one side, a faintly puzzled look on his face.

"Of course."

And then Jaudane pulled the trigger.

_______________*___________*____________*





The Rembrandt hung in space, coupled with two of the pirate vessels, one on each side. The third vessel was coupled to one of the other pirate ships on the opposite side from the Rembrandt. The gas-giant dominated one side of space, its banded atmosphere doing slow dances amidst the violent storms which stirred the frozen atmosphere. Nine of the gas giant's fifteen moons formed a ragged line on one side of the planet, a line drawn at a tangent through the gas giant's upper atmosphere.

The huge passenger liner's air locks were joined to each of the two pirate vessels at eight different points — four on each side. Thin metal bridges spanned the gaps between the airlocks of the Rembrandt and her attackers, and each bridge was surrounded by a tube of rippling force, like a spinning cylinder of lumpy glass. The bridges produced their own gravity fields, allowing the pirates to walk across, protected from space by the cylinder-shaped force fields.

Through each of the four airlocks on each side of the Rembrandt poured a steady stream of the raiders as they transported the plundered loot to their ships. The luxury liner was being thoroughly stripped. Her cargo hold had been filled with shipments of rare spices, works of art, precious metals, new medicines and old wines. It was all being transferred to the pirate vessels. Even the possessions of the passengers were being ransacked. Electronic components from engineering were taken.

Human beings can also have monetary value. The Beltherians took hostages whenever they thought an individual might be worth a sizeable ransom. Some of the women were taken for reasons other than ransom. These women would never see their friends and families again.

Ro Jaudane went striding down one of the busy, crowded corridors of the Rembrandt which lead to an airlock coupled to his own ship. The corridor was filled with Beltherians who operating zero-G hand trucks — floating platforms loaded with plunder. Jaudane had to step aside several times to make room for hand trucks piled high with loot as they floated by.

Amidst the hand trucks and the men carrying armloads of stolen goods, Jaudane saw handcuffed hostages being transported by armed guards towards the airlock. Some of the hostages were meek and cooperative, their eyes filled with hopeless defeat. Others were crying uncontrollably, their faces twisted with fear as they pleaded with their unsympathetic captors.

Ro Jaudane smiled. All in all, it looked like this venture would turn a fine profit.

The leader of the raiders came to the end of the corridor and entered the large and elaborately decorated room which was designed to impress the Rembrandt's passengers when they first entered the ship through one of its main entrances. The high ceiling featured several large, ornate chandeliers, and the walls were decorated with large paintings of exotic alien worlds. Several islands of furniture, each one arranged in cozy groups, populated the thickly carpeted floor.

The large room was not filled with happy, excited tourist, as it normally would have been. Instead, it was a scene of chaos and heartbreak. Small groups of terrified hostages were surrounded by armed guards as they awaited their turn to be pushed and shoved towards the airlock and transported across the thin metal bridges which connect the Rembrandt with the pirate vessel nearby. A steady stream of zero-G hand trucks laden with loot were passing through the airlock, guided by their operators.

Through the large airlock doorway, Ro Jaudane could see the caravan of men as they crossed the bridge and transported the stolen riches from the passenger liner to the nearby starship. He smiled and placed his fists on his hips as he surveyed the scene. He was watching wealth flow through that airlock — but he was watching something else as well. The success of this raid would raise him a notch in the eyes of the Beltherian High Command. And that was something Jaudane wanted very much.

Ro Jaudane was intelligent, ambitious, and ruthless. He had risen quickly through the ranks of the Beltherian hierarchy, a fact which had once troubled his highly-placed father, a man who worried about any threat to his own position — even when the threat came from his own son. But the recent death of Jaudane's father had removed certain obstacles in the young Beltherian's political ascension. The fact that his father's death had occurred under suspicious circumstances only increased the respect and fear which Jaudane's enemies felt towards him.

Across the large room, Jaudane saw his second in command, Rakeem Qua, emerge from one of the side entrances and approached the Beltherian leader. He was accompanied by a second Beltherian dressed in battle armor and carrying an assault rifle. Walking between the two Beltherians were two of the Rembrandt's passengers, a thin old man and a dark-haired young woman. The group stopped in front of him, and Jaudane waited for his subordinate to speak.
Rakeem delivered a smooth and courteous introduction which was blatantly at odds with the fact that the two people standing next to him were his prisoners. "Captain Jaudane, may I present Professor Xavier Carrington, head of the Cosmology and Astrophysics Department at the University of New D??sseldorf."

Jaudane didn't look impressed, but he nodded his head and simply said, "An honor, Professor."

Carrington didn't look honored. He stood there, rigid and motionless, looking up at the tall Beltherian, knowing full well that his life was in the hands of this deceptively cordial man.

"And this, Captain, is Miss Danceea Aberon, his assistant."

Jaudane didn't speak to the woman, but his eyes traveled from her head to her feet, and they took their time coming back up. He liked what he saw, and he made no attempt to hide it. The young woman had dark shoulder-length hair which curved inward beneath her chin, framing her face within two soft arcs. She was lovely. Her eyes were a striking shade of pale blue — and she held the Beltherian captain's unwelcome appraisal without wavering, without blinking, without fear.

Jaudane's face was totally relaxed, a faint smile on his lips as he looked back at Rakeem. A silent moment passed while Jaudane waited for Rakeem to explain why he was bothering his captain with two hostages out of the hundreds that had been taken. The only worth these people had to Jaudane was the ransom they would bring.

Rakeem held his captain's eye for a moment before he realized that Jaudane was waiting for him to speak. "Professor Carrington is the head of a group of distinguished scientists who are traveling with him to the Hollacox system. From there they'll embark on an expedition to a star in the Magellanic Clouds. From what they've told me, it's a large and well-funded expedition."

Jaudane understood immediately. He spoke to Carrington. "How many are in your group, Professor?"

"I prefer the title Doctor, if you don't mind," Carrington said curtly, drawing himself up and making an effort to hide his fear. "Your assistant already has the names of all my colleagues. They've been rounded up like cattle and herded onto your ship. And I'm warning you, Captain. If any of us — "

"Don't warn me," Jaudane said very softly. But a subtle change in his expression served to silence Dr. Carrington instantly. Jaudane noticed that Rakeem was holding a computer. "That belongs to him?" Rakeem nodded. "Good. And we've got all the belongings of the other members of his group?"

"Yes, everything."

"Excellent. Make sure our guests provide all the user names and passwords we'll need to access the data from their encrypted files."

Carrington was livid with rage. "We will do no such thing! You have no right to — "

Jaudane brought his face to within inches of Carrington's. His yellow eyes were as cold and remorseless as a hungry hawk's. "Doctor, we don't need the right," Jaudane shifted his gaze to Danceea and held it there while his smile expanded a tiny fraction. It was a smile that did more to frighten Danceea than anything which had happened so far.

Carrington's breathing was becoming fast and ragged, his face was dark and angry, and his fists were clenched unconsciously at his sides. He quickly looked back and forth between Jaudane and Danceea several times, then he said, "You . . . you wouldn't dare — " He stopped himself when he realized how futile and inane it sounded. He had no power to stop these men from doing anything they chose. "Alright, wait. Wait just a moment, Captain," he said hastily, making an obvious effort to calm himself. "I'm sure they'll be no need for anything . . . unpleasant."

Jaudane stepped back and nodded briefly, looking satisfied with the situation. He spoke in a quiet voice that would have been described as pleasant and charming under other circumstances.

"I'm sure there won't be, sir. And I think you should have a talk with your colleagues when you get aboard my ship, to make sure they understand the necessity for cooperation. Are we clear on that, Doctor?" As he spoke the last few words, the smile suddenly vanished from Jaudane's face, and his strange yellow eyes held Dr. Carrington's fearful gaze for a moment.

Carrington had to make himself swallow before he could answer in a quavering whisper. "I'll do that as soon as possible."

Jaudane turned to his lieutenant. "Get them aboard the ship quickly. We're undocking soon."

The Beltherian wearing the combat armor stepped forward and took hold of the young woman's arm. He yanked her towards the large airlock on the far side of the room, and she almost fell before she regained her feet and hurried to keep up with her captor. Carrington followed, desperately wanting to do something about the rough treatment of the young woman, but knowing he could do nothing at all. When they had gone a few yards, they heard Jaudane call out to them.

"What's your name again, woman?"

The guard stopped the young lady and turned her roughly to face the captain. After a moment, she said, "Danceea."

Jaudane smiled. "That's a lovely name." He waved at the guard to take her away, then he turned his attention to the men who were off-loading the last of the plunder from the G.P.L. Rembrandt. But he turned back towards Danceea for one final admiring glance, and he made silent plans for later . . . which included her.

__________________________________________


_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed May 11, 2022 3:49 pm; edited 4 times in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 2:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Getting into it now!

I'm trying to pick out your writing style. Reminicent of Allan Dean Foster and David Gerrold.
Your descriptians are very clear, but I'd like to see more "mood" put into it .

Getting eager to see where we're going.

How do you pronounce "Danceea"?
dance-see-ya ?

Oh, another author comes to mind ; Kieth Laumer the writer of "Earthblood". One of my favorite stories.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 10:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gord Green wrote:
Your descriptians are very clear, but I'd like to see more "mood" put into it.

How do you pronounce "Danceea"? dance-see-ya?

Exactly. It rhymes with Maria. ("Dancee-yaaaa! I just met a girl named Dancee-yaaaa!" ~ from Sail the Sea of Stars, the Broadway musical about dancing alien street gangs by Andrew Lloyd Brewster.)

The original manuscript includes a prologue by David Newcastle which I didn't post. The prologue explains that this is his novel and he's included sections which aren't first person accounts of his own experiences. Those third-person sections are based on "the official record of the famous Nestrian incident, which includes starship logs, legal testimony, surveillance camera videos, etc."

So, after the story gets past the whole pirate ship attack, there's a along section in which David is telling the story in first person again, like the second chapter does, and it will sound somewhat like the lighthearted style of The Hero Experience (told by Brad Jones, the imaginative teenager who talks his buddies into pulling off a superhero hoax.)

If you haven't read The Hero Experience yet, give it a try, because unfortunately I'm all out of chapters for Sail the Sea of Stars that have been recently rewritten, so it might be a few weeks before you'll get another one.

But it will be worth the wait. I'm mighty proud of what I have planned for the new version of the story, and I'm looking forward to sharing it.
Very Happy
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~ The Space Children (1958)
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